Bradley Manning Acquitted of Aiding the Enemy, the Most Serious Charge Outstanding Against Him

But he's already pled guilty to several other charges and still faces a long stay in prison.

Yet-- this is a very strange message for a military court to send. I suppose one message is "They won't just convict you based on national security grounds, but will closely examine the evidence to determine if you are really guilty of what you are charged with."

On the other hand -- "They won't just convict you national security grounds." You can download millions of documents to a man known to be venomously anti-American and yet even the US military courts will sort of give you a pass on it, if you say your heart was "in the right place."

Very strange.

The suspense at the court martial session was limited because Manning previously pled guilty to 10 of the 22 counts he faced. Those charges carry a potential sentence of 20 years. The aiding-the-enemy charge can lead result in a sentence of up to life in prison or event to the death penalty, but the military did not seek capital punishment in Manning’s case.

If convicted on all charges apart from aiding the enemy, Manning faced a potential sentence of up to 154 years.

posted by Ace at 01:21 PM

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